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Strontium replacement?

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budullewraagh:
is it true that i could react Sr with NaCl to form Na and SrCl2?  the reduction potentials seem to say so.  if so i'm definately going to buy highway flares ;D

jdurg:
Only if the NaCl is anhydrous and in a molten state.  If there is any water at all in the reaction vessel the Sr, and any possible Na that could form, would immediately react with the water.  

And with all the materials and techniques needed to make the sodium chloride molten, it would just be much cheaper to buy pure sodium metal from an online retailer.  (E-Bay has kind of cracked down on sodium sales, however, but if you see someone selling elements then there's a good chance they can get you some sodium).  

Limpet Chicken:
It might be worth looking into finding a low melting point eutectic mixture, I looked at that once when I was contemplating building some sort of downs cell modification, and as I recall, I think there was a eutectic with one of the salts of gallium that had an MP of 80 odd degrees, which would be easy using a blowtorch.

Dry your NaCl over NaOH for a week or two maybe, just to make sure that its anhydrous, or heat for some time before adding the metal for the reduction, maybe you could use some of the Li from the batteries you were taking apart, probably wont matter too much it its a little oxidised, if that is, Li is a strong enough reducer to tear apart Na from its compounds.

On second thoughts, why not simply go for the electrolysis of fused NaOH, I have had OK yields of Na from this using a car battery, use a blowtorch to heat the NaOH and keep it fused, or better yet a camping stove and dig out the blobs of molten Na with a spoon as soon as they form then chuck them into naptha or other light hydrocarbon to store them.

budullewraagh:
ah but i cant get fused NaOH; my chem teacher is very suspicious of my lab work and she'd have me do everything in front of her.  of course, obtaining Na(s) in front of her is questionable to say the least.

Limpet Chicken:
And yet she will let you try and make Na from strontium metal and molten NaCl?
Why not do it at home, so long as you wear your eye protection it shouldn't be any problem, I have never run into difficulty with it anyway.

Don't tell me you can't buy NaOH cheaply in america?

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